Product Engineer - Desktop Apps Lead

xAI • Palo Alto, CA

73d • $180,000 - $440,000

About The Position

xAI's mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company's mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All engineers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates. You will lead the building high-performance Electron-based desktop apps, enabling cross-platform experiences for our users on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This role focuses on bringing AI experiences from the web into the desktop. And, employees in this role are expected to bring in expertise in desktop app architecture, capabilities, and UX patterns. Experience with Electron is required.

Requirements

• 2+ years of strong software development experience building and shipping Electron-based applications, with a focus on web-to-desktop migrations.
• Strong proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, and modern web frameworks (e.g., React).
• Familiarity with Electron-specific tools such as Electron Forge or Electron Builder.
• Experience with cross-platform packaging, native modules (e.g., via node-gyp or Rust bindings), and debugging tools for desktop environments.
• Proven track record of optimizing applications for performance, security, and offline functionality.

Nice To Haves

• Deep expertise in desktop application architecture and operating system integration.
• Experience with rapid prototyping and iteration, balancing technical constraints with user needs.
• Familiarity with system-level challenges, such as packaging, distribution, and performance tuning for resource-intensive AI workloads.
• A passion for creating clean, developer-friendly experiences and pushing AI-driven desktop innovation.
• Strong collaboration skills, with experience owning end-to-end development in a team setting.
• A proactive mindset with a touch of humor to thrive in a dynamic, mission-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Convert xAI's core web platform into an Electron framework, optimizing for desktop performance and integrating native features like file system access, notifications, and hardware APIs.
• Build and maintain modular Electron architectures, including main process and renderer optimizations, to support AI-driven features.
• Collaborate with product and model training teams to prototype desktop-specific experiences that enhance user engagement.
• Test and debug across platforms to deliver polished, secure applications that meet xAI's standards for reliability and user-centric design.

Benefits

• Equity
• Comprehensive medical coverage
• Vision coverage
• Dental coverage
• Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
• Short & long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Various other discounts and perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Publishing Industries
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees